The present invention relates to an electrical connector and more particularly to card connector having a lock member for engaging a card.
Various types of card connectors having a lock member exist. An example of such a connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3065310. This connector has a slide plate that slides within the connector housing in an insertion direction for receiving a card. A card having a cutout in a lateral edge thereof is locked within the slide plate by the engagement of the cutout with a lock member. The lock member consists of a linear spring mounted in the connector housing.
In the conventional technology, the retention force of such lock members is high because the planar portion of the spring lock member engages with a planar portion of the card perpendicular to the insertion direction. In extracting the card, an excessive force may be exerted on the lock member, possibly damaging either the lock, the card or both.
It is an object of the invention to provide a card connector that does not damage the card or lock member when the card is forcefully extracted while in a locked state.
The card connector of the present invention has an insulative housing with a plurality of contacts for receiving a card; a slider slidably mounted in the housing capable of assuming an ejection position for ejecting the card from the housing and a card receiving position for receiving the card in the housing. A lock member is held by the slider for engaging a cutout on a lateral edge of the card to lock the card in the card receiving position. A positioning mechanism is provided for positioning the slider in the ejection position and the card receiving position. The lock member comprises a fixed end portion fixed on the slider and a free end portion. The free end portion is supported by contacting a support surface of the housing when in the card receiving position and separates from said support surface when in the ejection position. A spring piece is provided with an engagement protrusion for engaging the cutout. When the slider is in the ejection position, the free end portion flexes to disengage the engagement with the cutout of the card by the extraction of the card, and when the slider is in the card receiving position, the free end portion elastically deforms while contacting the support surface to disengage the engagement with the cutout by the forced extraction of the card.